On Monday morning, an earthquake with a magnitude of 4.8 shook central Italy north of Florence. This event led residents to seek safety in the streets, although no immediate damage was reported, according to authorities. As a precaution, some schools were closed, and train services experienced delays as railway lines were inspected.
The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) in Italy recorded the earthquake at 4.8 on the Richter scale, with its center located near Marradi. Marradi is a town of roughly 3,000 inhabitants situated in the province of Florence, within the Apennine mountain range. The quake occurred at 5:10 am (0310 GMT).
Firefighters, in a message posted on X (formerly Twitter), stated that alarmed residents had contacted emergency services, but as of now, “no personal injuries have been reported.” The mayor of Marradi, Tommaso Triberti, informed Rainews24 television that firefighters were conducting assessments inside private residences. He noted, “There is a lot of concern. All the people are in the street but no particular damage has been reported.”
In 2019, a 4.5-magnitude earthquake struck the nearby Mugello region, resulting in minimal damage, including some cracks in the facade of a 17th-century church. The town of Mugello had previously experienced a devastating earthquake in 1919, one of the most severe of the century, which claimed approximately 100 lives.
The central Apennines region remains highly susceptible to seismic activity.